Mass Effect: Salvation or Destruction
by Video
Summary: The story of Salvation or Destruction takes place after the events of Mass Effect 2. It revolves around the inevitable Quarian and Geth war, my speculation of ME3, along with romance between Tali and Shepard.
1. Chapter 1

One month has passed since Shepard had destroyed the Collector base. One month has passed since he had seen Tali's face.

"She looks so beautiful under that helmet."Shepard thought to himself.

Shepard had been on several missions with Tali. He had always protected her, not that she needed it. Tali was definitely a force to be reckoned with on the battlefield. But he still protects her. He always will. Shepard was born in space. He thought it was only natural that he would fall in love with another species. Tali had shown him love, for her and quarians. People had always thought that quarians were nothing but troublemakers and thieves. She had shown him that Quarians were in fact civil, and had an interesting culture. All the quarians Shepard had met in his journey were all humble. We wished he could do more for them.

But helping the quarians reclaim their homeworld, he hoped, would be enough. He knew that war between the quarians and geth was inevitable. He had hopes that their would be a peaceful way to end it. After all, he needs both of them to help fight the Reapers. But it would be hard to convince the Admirals. Politicians had always been too thick headed to see the bigger picture. But he will find a way. The last thing he wants to see is a species to go extinct.

"Shepard, can I talk with you?" Tali had come in his quarters, interrupting his thoughts. "Of course, Tali. What about?" he replied, laying on his bed.

She laid onto the bed next to him. "I have been thinking about the time we, well, you know." she said nervously. "Tali, you know I can wait. No matter how long it takes.I don't want to lose you. I love you, Tali." Shepard said, already knowing what she was bringing up.

"I know, Shepard. And I love you, too. I'm sorry for bothering you." She started to get up, then Shepard pulled her back. "Don't leave. Stay up here for a little while." Shepard said playfully.

"Oh Shepard." she said, laying back down.

_5 hours later._

Shepard got up from his bed. He looked back at Tali, who was still laying there sleeping. He went to his private terminal and noticed he had a message from the Migrant Fleet.

"Shepard, I would like for you to come back to the flotilla. It is an urgent matter. Cannot say more over an unsecure channel."

-Admiral Shala'Raan vas Tonbay

Shepard closed the message.

"Joker, set a course for the Migrant Fleet." Shepard said.

"Will do, Commander. Still cozy with Tali?" Joker replied, obviously being playful.

"Do you always have to know what I'm doing, Joker?" Shepard said, being playful in return.

"Just when I want to Commander. ETA is 2 hours. That should be enough time for you two." Shepard closed the comm, and went back to bed.


	2. Chapter 2

The Normandy had just arrived at the Migrant Fleet's location. Shepard and Tali were at the cockpit,  
ready to get permission from the flotilla to dock.

"This is Tali'Zorah vas Normandy requesting permission to dock with the Tonbay." Tali was a bit nervous  
that her aunt had to see Shepard.

"Identification is required." replied an apparently tired quarian.

"After time adrift among open stars, along tides of light and through shoals of dust,  
I will return to where I began." Tali had repeated the phrase countless times.

"Permission granted. Welcome home, Miss Tali'Zorah." The quarian then opened the docking bay.

Shepard remembered the last time he had come to the fleet. He hopes this time it is under better circumstances.

"Tali, over here."

Shala'Raan greeted them soon after they docked aboard the Tonbay.

"Auntie, is there something wrong?" Asked Tali, who was obviously nervous as to why they had been asked to come.

"I am afraid I have bad news, Tali." Shala'Raan's voice was grave.

"What is it?" Tali asked, apparently becoming a bit more nervous.

"I'm afraid that Kal'Reegar has lost contact with the fleet. We fear the worst. Knowing your connection with him,  
we were hoping that maybe you had heard something from him."

"No, I haven't. Oh Keelah, when did you lose contact?"

"It has been 2 days since his last message. We know you and your Captain are busy, but we need your help.  
Kal had been on a very important mission. I cannot discuss any more than that." Shala replied.

Shepard had been listening intently, knowing that Tali cared for Kal as a friend.

"Admiral, I think Tali and I both deserve to know what Kal's mission was." Shepard's voice was stern as he spoke.

Shala had remembered Shepard's actions at the trial.

"Alright, Shepard. I cannot deny what you have done for us. Kal's mission was to go beyond the Perseus Veil  
and try to use Rael's research against the geth." she answered.

Both Tali and Shepard were shocked. The experiments on the geth were cruel, even to synthetics.

"I am sorry, Admiral, but that is not right. I know your people have been living here long enough  
and want to reclaim the homeworld. But to use the research for that purpose is just cruel."

Shepard was beginning to get upset.

"What were we supposed to do, Shepard? The geth are a threat to everyone as long they are still active. The geth on  
your ship is no different." Shala said defensively.

"With all due respect, Admiral, Legion has had several opportunites to kill us. I trust Legion with my life.  
But we shouldn't be arguing about this. Kal needs our help." Shepard replied.

"Shepard is right, we need to find Kal." Tali said quickly.

"Your right Shepard. May I have a moment to speak with you alone?" Shala asked.

"Tali, I'll meet you back on the ship." Shepard said, a little worried as to why Shala wanted to talk to him.

"Alright, Shepard."

As Tali walked away, Shala'Raan spoke to Shepard.

"I know about you and Tali, Shepard." Shala stated bluntly.

"How-" Shepard began to speak, but was interrupted.

"I'm the closest thing she has left of family, she told me."

"Why exactly do want to talk about it?" Shepard himself was actually a little nervous.

"You make her happy, Shepard. She has risked a lot being with you. I just wanted to thank you.  
Seeing her happy has brought a smile to this old quarian's face." Shepard could tell Shala was being sincere.

"Thank you, Admiral. I promise I will take care of her." Shepard also said sincerely.

"I know you will. Goodbye, Shepard. Keelah Se'lai." Shala then walked away.

As Shepard went back onto the Normandy, Tali asked what Shala wanted.

"Just wanted to wish us luck on the mission, Tali." Shepard replied, giving a little smile.


	3. Chapter 3

Joker had recieved the coordinates from Shala.

"EDI, set a course for Rannoch." Joker said. Shepard had come up behind Joker. EDI had already spun the chair to face him.

"Hey Commander, ETA is 6 hours. If it isn't the Collectors, it's the geth. Why do I get dragged into these things?"

Joker had known Shepard for years, and he knew if anyone could pull it off, it was him.

"Joker, you know as well as I do this is important. We don't need another war. And who else could fly  
the Normandy better than you?" Shepard replied.

"Your probably right, EDI can't do it by herself, afterall." Joker said.

Joker had come to trust EDI with his life, as she had come to trust him.

"Joker, I'm heading down to engineering. Let me know when we arrive." As Shepard turned to leave, Joker said,

"Going down to see your girlfriend?"

Shepard continued to walk, but while still in earshot of Joker, he remarked,

"What's wrong with that? Your already with yours."

As Joker turned back towards the computer, he replied,

"Very funny, Commander."

Shepard had arrived at the elevator, but before going down to engineering, he went to the AI core.  
was at her computer, as usual.

"Commander, I wanted to discuss something with you." She said, turning her chair around.

"Of course, what about?" Shepard had sat down in front of her.

"I have been helping Tali researching ways for you and her to be together." Chakwas said.

"Did Joker annouce our relationship to the crew while I was gone?" Shepard joked.

"Shepard, it's obvious that you and her are together. You are always going down to see her, and she is always going  
up to your private quarters. Besides, she asked for my help." She replied, calmly.

had always been a level headed person. No matter the situation, she always remained calm.

"Well, did you find anything?" Shepard asked, more serious this time.

"Nothing really. But I have found a stronger immune system booster. It should be able be able to strengthen it  
for much longer. I have already given some to Tali." Chakwas said.

"Thank you so much for your help, ." Shepard said, grateful for what she has done.

"Your welcome, Shepard." She replied, turning back towards her computer.

Shepard got up and continued to the AI core. Legion was there as usual, looking at his omni-tool.

"Legion, you know where we are going next. Is there any information on Kal?" Shepard asked, hoping to get answers.

"Shepard Commander, we have reports of a captured quarian on the planet Rannoch." Legion stated.

Legion was a valuable asset to the team. Not only can he hack nearly anything, he helps out in difficult sitautions.

"Can we get him back peacefully?"

"The quarian was not captured by us, he was captured by the heretics." Legion responded.

"I thought we rewrote the heretics back on the station." Shepard said, a little confused.

"These heretics were not affected. They were not among the ones that were."Legion stated.

"So your saying that the heretics outside of the EMP weren't affected?"

"Correct."

Shepard had hoped this could be settled peacefully. But instead this would be another hard battle.

"Thank you, Legion. We'll talk later." Shepard said, turning to leave.

Shepard was a bit nervous to see Tali. He wondered how she would react to being on her homeworld.  
As the elevator door opened, he turned left and saw Tali, fiddling with the drive core. He didn't  
see Ken or Gabby, and assumed they were on a break. Shepard came up behind Tali and hugged her.

"Hey Tali." he said, rubbing her stomach. Tali held his hands in hers.

"Shepard, I wanted to talk about where we are going."

This was what Shepard was afraid of. He wondered what she would say.

"What is it?" He asked nervously.

"I want to be able to take off my suit there, and just feel the air. I have never seen my homeworld, only heard  
what it was like. And I want you there with me." She replied, playing with Shepard's hands.

"Tali, this mission isn't going to be easy. Legion said that Kal was captured by the heretics. We'll most likely  
be fighting." he said, wondering what she would say next.

"I know, but that is what I wanted to ask. Can we stay for a few days? I just want to explore a little. See what it is like  
Since the geth don't live there, maybe there are a few buildings left." Tali stopped playing with his hands, wondering  
what he would say next.

"Alright Tali, I understand. said she gave you some stronger boosters. You should use them to help."  
Shepard said.

"I will, Shepard. Thank you so much. You have no idea what this means  
to me. You know, we have six hours to kill. I'll meet you in your  
quarters. " She started to play with his hands again.

"I look forward to it." Shepard said, smiling.

As Shepard turned to leave, he saw Ken and Gabby coming back.

"Hey Commander, looking to have a good time with Tali?" Ken asked jokingly.

"Ken, I have a shotgun!" Tali shot back, hearing what he said.


	4. Chapter 4

Shepard sees what the homeworld looks like from the Hammerhead. It had a few trees, surrounded by buildings.

"Quarian architecture is beautiful." he thought.

The buildings were made of metal, but some were also made of stone.  
They towered majestically over the landscape. Tali was sitting across  
from him, along with Legion. He could tell she was in entranced by the  
homeworld, even through her helmet. Shepard remembered the promise her  
father made to her, that he would build her a house on the homeworld.

"Tali," She looked at him.

"Remember the promise your father made?" Shepard asked.

"Of course, I could never forget." She replied.

"Well I promise you this, I will build you a house on your homeworld."

"Shepard, you-"

"I want to Tali, and I will. Because I love you." Shepard said, interrupting her.

"I love you too, Shepard. Thank you." She said, while going over to sit next to him.

Tali took Shepard's hand and held it tight. Just as Shepard began to hug her, Joker's voice was heard through the comm.

"Commander, we're here, wake up." Joker said, a little agitated.

It had all been a dream. Tali was laying next to him, still in her enviromental suit.

"Commander, you up yet? I've been trying to wake you up for the last 5 minutes. Having a good dream?" Joker jokingly asked.

"Sorry Joker, and yes, I was having a good dream. Thanks for ruining it." Shepard replied, still tired.

"I aim to please, Commander. We'll touch down in 20 minutes." Joker said.

Shepard woke up Tali, and both went down to start gearing up. He  
had decided to brin Legion along, as he claims to know the area.

"Shepard, I'm so excited!" Tali said. She knew it wasn't under good  
circumstances, but it didn't keep her from being excited at al

"I'm glad Tali. I'm excited too." Shepard said, being sincere.

They all got in the Hammerhead. Shepard started to remember his  
dream. He wondered if it would come true. Tali sat across from him  
along with Legion. Just before they left, Joker said,

"Good luck down there, Commander.

"Thanks, Joker. We'll be careful." Shepard replied.

As they descended, they saw the homeworld. Shepard realised it  
looked almost identical to the one in his dream. Shepard was the first  
human to ever see the quarian homeworld. And it looked beautiful, just  
like he thought it would. He looked at Tali, who was entranced by the  
landscape.

"Tali," She looked at him.

"Remember the promise your father made?" Shepard asked.

"Of course, I could never forget." She replied.

"Well I promise you this, once this is all over, I will build you a house on your homeworld."

"Shepard, you-"

"I want to Tali, and I will. Because I love you." Shepard said, interrupting her.

"I love you too, Shepard. Thank you." She said, while going over to sit next to him.

She took his hand and held it tightly. Shepard knew this time it  
wasn't a dream. He hugged her tightly. The Hammerhead landed in the  
middle of the city. The team got ready for an attack, knowing that they  
had alerted nearly all the geth of their presence.

"Legion, give us suppressing fire while Tali and I go to cover.  
We'll suppress them while you get to cover." Shepard said, getting  
ready for the battle ahead.

"Acknowledged." Legion replied.

They could already hear shots being fired at the Hammerhead. Just  
before they opened the door, Shepard thought of his dream one last  
time, and smiled.


	5. Chapter 5

Tali and Legion were pinned down by a squad of geth. Shepard was on the rooftop of what looked like a Quarian home.  
He managed to get up there using his cloak, and had a good layout of the area. Tali and Legion were holding up, but  
without help, things could get ugly. The geth were coming in waves, being reinforced by a geth ship. Shepard knew  
that to stop the waves, he would have to take down the ship.

He had a M-98 Widow Anti-Material Rifle, with enough heat sinks to arm a whole squad, along with the ML-77 Missile Launcher, which had 4 missiles left. Shepard had to make them count. The geth ship had to go down first, or else his ammo would be wasted. He needed to wait until the ship made another round, but Tali and Legion were taking heavy fire. Shepard got out his rifle, and aimed down his sights. He saw a Juggernaut giving them a lot of trouble. Shepard had one bullet left in his rifle's gauge. He held his breath, and fired.

"Where's Shepard?" Tali thought, while taking fire from the geth.

Legion was a life saver, but they both knew they wouldn't last long with that geth ship coming with reinforcements. The last thing she remembered seeing Shepard was when he yelled at them to get into cover, and then he dissappeared. She had hacked a geth shock trooper earlier, but it had already been killed by the others. Tali saw a Juggernaut coming up. His shields were still up, and she only had a ten heat sinks left. Legion had tried to take it's shields down, but ran out of ammo. Tali gave him a five of hers.

She took a deep breath, and got out of cover to shoot the Juggernaut. Just as she was about to pull the trigger, the geth's chest had a hole blown right into it. White fluid had splattered everywhere. She scanned the rooftops to find the shooter, and saw Shepard, reloading his rifle. Tali smiled to herself, glad that Shepard was still alive.

"Here comes the ship."Shepard thought to himself. He saw the ship coming towards Tali and Legion, ready to set another wave upon them. He quickly got out his missile launcher, and loaded it with his remaining missiles. He fired the first, and missed.

"Damn it, focus." He told himself.

Shepard held his breath, and aimed steadily. The ship was about to land. The geth were gathering around the ship. He aimed to the head of the ship, and fired. When the ship was hit, it immediately exploded, incinerating everything in the vicinity, except Tali and Legion, they were in cover.

Shepard regrouped with his squad in the house where he was at. Tali ran up and hugged him when he got down the stairs.

"Thank you, Shepard. Without you we would have definitely been killed." Tali said, hugging him tightly.

"I would never let anything happen to you." Shepard replied, letting her go.

"Shepard-Commander, we are not far from where the quarian is being held." Legion stated, reloading his weapons.

"Well, we better keep moving then. Here is some left over ammo that I have." Shepard said, giving Tali and Legion some heat sinks.

When they got outside, they heard screeching metal. From the wreckage of the ship arose a geth Colossus. It most likely was survived the explosion and repaired the damage that had been done.

"Get to cover now!" Shepard shouted at Legion and Tali, who were running to the nearby pillars for cover.

Shepard activated his cloak, leaving Tali and Legion wondering where he went. Tali was firing at the Colossus, trying  
to weaken it's shields, along with Legion. The colossus had aimed at Tali, and was powering up. Just when it was about  
to fire, A missile had blown a hole right through it's back. Shepard had used his cloak to go under the colossus  
and fire a missile right into it. He motioned for Tali and Legion to follow him. Their next goal was to find  
Kal'Reegar.


	6. Chapter 6

Kal'Reegar had been on many missions. No matter how dangerous they were, he always came through with nothing more  
than a suit rupture and an infection. This time, though, he had been captured. The geth had ambushed him, and  
knocked him out cold. He was surprised that they kept him alive.

"They probably think I'll give them information about the fleet. I'll be damned if they think I will, though."  
Kal thought.

But he had a few tricks up his sleeve. The geth had disabled his omni-tool, but Kal was able to  
re-activate it by using a trick Tali had taught him when they were salvaging the wreckage of a ship.  
She was the best engineer he had ever worked with.

He knew that she loved her Commander, even before Tali had told him. Kal saw on Haestrom how she looked at him.  
After she returned from her Pilgrimage, she had lost a lot of the spirit she used have. In the messages she  
had sent him while she was on her Pilgrimage, she always talked about her Commander. She told him that  
he was handsome, and a god on the battlefield. After what he saw on Haestrom, he realised she wasn't  
kidding. He remembered how Shepard took down that Colossus with ease, after his entire squad had been killed even  
attepting to get close to it.

For the two years he had served under her, he never seen her happier than when she told him that Shepard was alive.  
She talked about how she wish she would've come with him on Freedom's Progress. He asked her why she didn't.  
Tali said that their mission was too important, and she was nervous to go back with him, thinking she didn't  
matter to him. Kal told her to think better than that, but didn't believe him, that is until Haestrom.

He thought Shepard was a good man. A few quarians had encountered him while on their Pilgrimages.  
Lia'Vael encountered him on the citadel. She said he was furious at the volus and C-Sec officer  
that had accused and threatened her of stealing. Shepard even gave 1,000 credits to help  
Kenn continue his Pilgrimage and leave Omega. In Kal's books, Shepard was the best of the best.  
He was happy for Tali, because he knew Shepard cared for her as well.

Kal used his omni-tool to disable the security system and open his cell. A lone geth was walking down the hallway.  
He used his omni-tool to overload the geth's systems. Kal took the rifle and all the heat sinks it had.  
He continued down the hallway. While checking the rooms for geth, Kal found security terminal. He downloaded the  
layout of the facility to his omni-tool, and found the nearest exit was in a large room down the hall. It was the  
fifth door on the right. He also changed the targeting system to attack synthetics.

"How do you like this, you bosh'tets." he said to himself.

Now that the defenses were online, it would be easier to fight the geth. He could already hear  
the defenses opening fire on the them. Kal found the door, and opened it, ready for a fight.  
He ran into cover, and looked up. The geth were on his left, where his exit was. They didn't notice him,  
as they were distracted by the security systems. Figuring he could flank them, he ran towards the pillar  
on his left. Making sure his clip was full, and got out of cover and started firing. He killed half of the  
geth before he had to reload.

The defense turrets took out the remaining geth, who had gotten out of cover due to Kal's firing.  
Kal went to the exit, and stepped outside.


	7. Chapter 7

The geth were everywhere. Kal had been outnumbered before, but never by this many. He was running out of thermal clips fast,  
and only had a few grenades. His position was a good vantage point, but he only had a geth assault rifle, making it hard.  
He looked up to see how many were left. Kal had to be fast. There were mostly only geth troops, with a few rocket troopers.  
The geth were spread out, making it harder kill them. A bullet whizzed past his helmet, and he immediately went back into cover.

"Damn synthetics." Kal told himself.

He was fatigued by running. When he left the prison he was being held at, Kal was immediately spotted. Geth began shooting  
from all directions. Kal had never run faster. He was amazed that he didn't get a suit rupture, and that his shields took  
care of the bullets. He finally to got cover at a factory. He got to the roof, and had been there since.

Some geth had followed him up, but he ambushed them. He had laid down mines and when they came up the stairs, they were blown to pieces. The heat of the blast melted their armor, and left nothing but a few puddles of their white fluid.

The best he could do was hold out, and try to find a weak spot in their defenses.

Kal took one out one of his grenades.

Taking a deep breath, he got out of cover and threw the grenade at one of the rocket troopers. It exploded in a cloud  
of white fluid and fire.

One of the rocket troopers had been impaled by shrapnel from the explosion.

He immediately got out his assault rifle, and started shooting the last one.

It fired a rocket at Kal, but not before it took a bullet to the head.

Kal quickly got back into cover. But the rocket hit the stack of metal crates he was using as cover, destroying them.

He was a dead man. With no cover, his shields were the thing protecting him from the geth's bullets.

"Well, I won't go down without a fight. Bring it on, you synthetic bosh'tets!" He shouted, starting to shoot at all the geth.

His shields were down to 60% power.

"Won't be long now." he thought.

But something was wrong. The geth had stopped shooting at him. On the other end of the factory, he saw a lone geth,  
shooting at them.

It had taken out half of them before they started shooting at it back. Kal decided to help, but only until it  
started shooting at him.

When the last one was killed, the lone geth put it's weapon away. Kal wasn't sure what to do. It wasn't shooting  
at him, but it was still geth. He walked up to it, but was still pointing his assault rifle at it.

"Shepard-Commander, we have found creator Kal'Reegar. We are at the factory." It said, surprising Kal.

"Did you say Shepard?" Kal demanded.

"We are sent by Shepard-Commander to ensure creator Kal'Reegar's survival." It responded.

"Prove it." Kal said, doubting what it was telling him.

The geth played a recording of Shepard's voice to Kal.

"Kal, if you are listening to this, then you have found Legion. He is not hostile, and will  
protect you until we get to your location."

Kal was curious that Shepard had a geth as part of his squad. He lowered his weapon, but still kept it out.

"So you're here with Shepard?" Kal asked.

"Correct, along with creator Tali'Zorah vas Normandy." Legion stated.

Tali had come to help him. Despite his confusion, Kal was glad to hear her name.

"Finally, some good news." He thought to himself.

Shepard and Tali had been searching buildings for Kal when Legion had contacted them.

"Shepard-Commander, we have found creator Kal'Reegar. We are at the factory."

They had been searching for the past few hours, running into small pockets of geth every so often.

"We better head over there before they run into more trouble." Shepard said to Tali, who nodded in agreement.


	8. Chapter 8

Shepard and Tali had regrouped with Legion and Kal at the factory.

"Shepard-Commander, we have successfully protected creator Kal'Reegar." Legion stated.

"Good work, Legion. Are you alright, Kal?" Shepard asked Kal, who was sitting down on a crate.

"I've been better, but I'm okay." Kal replied, visibly aching from the previous battle.

"I'm glad your alright, Kal. Do you need any anti-biotics?" Tali asked, taking out and offering  
him some of her anti-biotics.

"I appreciate the gesture, Ma'am, but I'll be alright." Kal said, rejecting her offer.

"Kal, I told you to call me Tali." She said back, a little irritated.

"I'll work on that, Ma'am." Kal replied back.

Shepard had been observing their surroundings, while Kal and Tali were chatting. The factory  
had been riddled with bullets from Kal's previous battle with the geth. He started thinking  
about his promise to Tali, and the time they were going to spend together here.

"Shepard, we should probably start heading back to the Hammerhead." Tali said, coming up next to him.

"You're right, Tali. Kal, you ready to go?" Shepard asked.

"I'm not that banged up, Shepard. Yeah, I'm ready to go. We should probably get  
ammo from the geth here before we head out." Kal replied.

"Alright, let's gather some thermal clips. I have a feeling we're going to need it later." Shepard agreed, already starting  
to go up the stairs to gather clips.

Shepard was gathering thermal clips when Tali had come up. He turned around and hugged her, holding her tightly.

"Shepard, I cannot wait for us to be here together." She said, holding him.

"I know, Tali. But we have to get Kal back to the Fleet first. I'll tell Joker when we get back to  
drop us off somewhere remote. Legion will probably know a good place."Shepard said, letting her go.

Tali loved her Commander. She would give her life for him, as she knows he would do the same. She started to think  
back of their past adventures. She remembered when they first met He had saved her from those mercenaries,  
even though she denied it. He had given her the data they recovered from the geth, two years ago.  
He had defended her at her trail, and helped her find her father's body. All she wanted to do was be with him,  
without her enviromental suit.

"We'd better get going. Wouldn't want to keep them waiting." Tali said, hugging Shepard one more time before  
heading back down.

2 hours later.

They were getting close to the Hammerhead. It had been hell trying to get back, but they were making it.  
There were small pockets of geth along the way, but nothing they couldn't handle. But there was one thing  
standing in between them and the Hammerhead, a Colossus surrounded by geth.

Shepard had run out of missiles long before they reached Kal. They all knew this was going to be tough fight.  
Everyone was in cover, and was firing at the Colossus, whittling away it's shields.

"Kal, Tali and I are going to flank the geth, while you and Legion give us suppressive fire." Shepard shouted  
over the hail of gunfire.

"We'll cover you, Shepard." Kal shouted back, still firing at the Colossus.

Shepard and Tali started running towards the right, while dodging gunfire from the geth. Shepard took out his  
M-15 Vindicator assault rifle and started firing at the geth nearby. Tali followed, except with her Eviscerator  
shotgun, blasting a hole into each geth that got too close.

The shields of the Colossus were nearly depleted, and the geth were either dead or retreating.  
Shepard took out one of his remaining grenades and threw it at the Colossus. The grenade did it's job  
and took off the head of the Colossus.

"Shepard, you continue to amaze me." Kal said, getting out of cover.

"That's one thing you should know, Kal. Shepard is full of surprises." Tali said, looking at Shepard,  
who smiled.

"Apparently so, Ma'am." Kal replied.

They all got into the Hammerhead and went back to the Normandy. Shepard insisted for Kal to stay on the Normandy,  
saying that Joker will bring him back to the fleet. Shepard was in his quarters, sitting on the couch waiting for Tali.  
The doors opened to reveal Tali, visibly nervous.

"Shepard, I just got a message from the fleet. They want me to return with Kal immediately, and say it's very important."  
She said, her voice carrying a mixture of anger and anxiety.

"We can' wait, can we?" Shepard asked, knowing the answer already.

"No, we have to go immediately. It's urgent." She said.

"Tali, I know how much you wanted to stay, but we have to go. I don't want you to get exiled." Shepard said, as  
soothing as possible.

"I know, Shepard. But I wanted to do this. I wanted-" She broke into tears.

Shepard walked up to her and hugged her. She embraced him, still crying.

"It will be okay, Tali. If we can't do it now, we will do it when all this is over." Shepard reassured her.

"Thank you, Shepard. I just wanted to be with you. I was so happy before I got the message." Tali said, sniffling.

"We will come back again, Tali. I promise you that." Shepard said, letting her go, but holding her hand.

Shepard brought Tali over to the bed, and laid down with her in his arms.


	9. Chapter 9

Shepard was sitting at his desk, watching Tali sleep. He had been up for a while, working on his  
private terminal, occasionally looking over at Tali, just watching her. Even with her suit on,  
she was more beautiful than any other woman he had seen. He knew how much she wanted to stay  
on Rannoch, and he wanted the same. When he heard her cry, the only thing he wanted to do was  
make her happy again. His thoughts were interrupted by EDI.

"Commander, we have reached the Migrant Fleet."

"Thanks, EDI. Stand by for docking." Shepard replied, getting up from his chair.

He woke Tali up, telling her that they had arrived at the fleet. Shepard went to the  
armory to suit up while Tali went to the cockpit to request permission to dock. He told  
her to meet him at the armory when she was done. When he was fully suited up, he went  
to the elevator and took it down to crew quarters.

Kal was sitting down in the room overlooking the drive core.

"Kal, we've arrived at the Migrant Fleet. We're docking with the Neema."  
Shepard said.

"I appreciate your help, Shepard. I would've been dead if it weren't for you."  
Kal stated.

"Anytime, Kal. I'll help whenever I can." Shepard replied.

Shepard went back to the armory to get his helmet. Tali was there waiting for him with  
his helmet in her hands.

"I didn't make you wait too long, I hope." He said to her, smiling.

"I'll for wait for you as long I have to." She replied, giving him his helmet.

"Ready to see what the Admirals want this time?" He asked jokingly.

"Hardly, but they said it was important." She replied, laughing.

"Let's not keep them waiting, then." Shepard said, putting on his helmet.

30 minutes later

As the two boarded the Neema, Admiral Shala'Raan greeted them at the docking bay.

"Auntie, can you tell us why we were called back?" Tali asked.

"Tali, you have been selected as a candidate to be an Admiral." Shala replied.

Shepard could tell Tali was surprised, even through her helmet.

"But Auntie, you know I can't. I just can't abandon the Normandy and her crew.  
And I will not abandon Shepard." Tali said firmly.

"I know, Tali. But you have to go through the election." Shala said.

"Who are the other two candidates?" Tali asked.

Shala listed the two names.

"Hal'Zeros vas Selani and Fian'Vael vas Ulnay."

Shepard remembered that name.

"I'm sorry, but is Fian'Vael is the father of Lia'Vael?" Shepard asked curiously.

"Yes, she mentioned you on her return to the fleet, Shepard. Thank you for helping her on her Pilgrimage." Shala said.

"I'm glad she's doing alright." He said.

"We should probably start to head to the plaza." Tali said nervously.

"Your right. Are you going to oversee the election, Admiral?" Shepard asked.

"I am, and will be the only one. The election of an admiral doesn't need more than one admiral to oversee it."  
She replied.

Shepard and Tali started to head towards the garden plaza. On the way, they saw Lia'Vael talking with another quarian.

"Shepard, over here." She waved over for them.

"I just wanted to thank both of you for helping me on my Pilgrimage. I probably would've been arrested  
if it weren't for you. I'm doing much better now." She said.

"I'm glad we were able to help, Lia. We had better go, though." Tali said.

"Good luck in the election, Tali." Lia said, before turning back to talk to the quarian she was with.

"So how exactly will this election go?" Shepard asked Tali while walking.

"I have to stand with the other candidates where the Admirals would usually stand, while the crowd votes for  
who they want as an Admiral." She replied.

"What are you going to do if you're elected?" He asked, hoping he would like the answer.

"I will respectfully decline. I'm not going to leave you, Shepard. Besides, politics was never my strong suit."  
She said jokingly.

They finally reached the garden plaza. The seating area was filled with quarians.

"Guess I have to go up there." Tali said, and walked towards the stand.

Shepard decided to stand up and watch the election. Shala opened the election with a prayer.

"This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season.  
Keelah Se'lai."

"Keelah Se'lai," The crowd said in unison.

"We are here today to choose one who shall be the next admiral. Each of them have proven themselves to the fleet many times.  
Hal'Zeros, you have helped protected the fleet time and time again. Many of us owe you our lives. Fian'Vael, you have  
kept us together with you wisdom. Without you, we would be lost. Tali'Zorah, you have proven your loyalty to the fleet many  
times. You have served under Captain Shepard, saving us all. You have given invaluable data of the geth, taking us one step  
closer to understanding their evolution. All of you have proven your worth, but only one will be an admiral. Cast your  
votes."

Shala said, giving leave for the crowd to vote. All the quarians took out their omni-tools, voting. Shepard looked up  
at Tali. He could see that she was becoming increasingly nervous. Shala took out her omni-tool, and counted the votes.

5 minutes later

"It is decided. Tali'Zorah, you have been chosen to be the next admiral. What say you?"

Tali had never been more nervous in her life.

"I am sorry, but I respectfully decline. As much as I care for the fleet, I cannot abandon my crew and ship. Most importantly,  
I cannot abandon my Commander. Without him, I would be lost." Tali said, at first nervously, but became more confident with each  
word.

"Very well, the new admiral will be Fian'Vael, if he accepts." Shala said, respecting Tali's decision.

"I accept, Admiral." Fian said.

"You are now Admiral Fian'Vael vas Ulnay. This Conclave is adjourned." Shala stated, stepping off the podium.

20 minutes later

Tali walked toward Shepard, who was standing at the exit.

"You know, your not such a bad speaker." He said smuggly.

"Your not the only one who has a way with words." She said.

"You ready to return home, Miss Tali'Zorah?" He asked, taking her hand.

"I'm always ready. I still have those immuno-boosters" Tali replied seductively.

Shepard and Tali walked back to the Normandy together, saying their good-byes to everyone.

Once back on the Normandy, they both went back to Shepard's cabin.


	10. Chapter 10

Shepard woke up next to Tali, still out of her bio-suit and asleep. He wrapped his arms around her, feeling her soft skin.  
He gently kissed her forehead, and started to drift back to sleep. Her immuno-boosters would only last for two more hours Shepard wished this moment could last forever, just him and her. But reality can be a pain in the ass.

2 hours later

Tali had just gotten back into her bio-suit, when Shepard pulled her back to the bed.

"Shepard, you are such a bosh'tet!" She said jokingly, allowing him to pull her back.

They both laid down together for a time, before Joker interrupted.

"Commander, Councilman Anderson wants to meet with you. He says it's important."

"Alright, set a course for the Citadel, Joker." Shepard said, clearly irritated by the interruption.

"Will do, Commander. ETA is one hour. But be sure you're dressed when you meet him, though." Joker snickered.

"Remember what I told you earlier, Joker?" Tali said sternly.

Joker immediately dropped his attitude.

"Yes I do. I'll notify you when we reach the Citadel, Commander." Joker said, and immediately closed the comm.

"What exactly did you say to Joker?" Shepard asked, surprised at Joker's reaction.

"All I told him was to give us our space." She replied, and pulled him back to the bed.

1 hour later

Shepard was suiting up in his usual N7 armor. Tali went down to engineering to see if they needed any new parts for the Normandy. Joker had already docked in the was bringing Garrus along this time. It had been awhile since all three of them had been to the Citadel together, even if it was for an important meeting. Shepard went down to tell Garrus he was coming with them.

"It's been awhile since we've been to the Citadel. Last time we were there you passed out at the Dark Star."  
Garrus joked.

"It took ryncol to make me pass out." Shepard replied, smiling.

"Is that a challenge, Shepard?" Garrus said enthusiastically, grinning.

"We'll see if we can stop by after the meeting." He said, returning the enthusiasm.

They both went up to the cockpit, where Tali was already waiting.

"Anderson said to meet him at his office in the Presidium." Joker said.

"Well, let's head out." Shepard said, heading to the airlock.

30 minutes later

Shepard and his team had finally reached Anderson's office. He was standing in his usual spot, overlooking the Presidium.

"Shepard, I'm glad to see you." He said, turning around.

"Glad to see you, too. Sorry about the wait. C-Sec security held us back." Shepard replied.

"I'm sure you want to know why you're here." Anderson said, sitting down at his desk. He motioned for them to sit down.

"I believe you when you say something is important." Shepard said, anxious to hear what Anderson had to say.

"We've been analyzing the data you sent us. I think we have something. Something we can use against-" Shepard finished his sentence for him.

"the Reapers." 


	11. Chapter 11

When Shepard came to Anderson's office, he wasn't expecting anything but maybe a few new missions that he had to do.  
Instead, it had turned out to be something much more important. Something that could save the every species in the galaxy.  
Something that could save his love, Tali. He didn't know what to think. This data was invaluable.

"What did you find out?" Shepard asked, anxious to hear the answer.

"Harbinger had some...interesting schematics. Weapon designs, armor upgrades, the works. We may be able to use these designs to upgrade our ships." Anderson said, giving him a data pad with statistics.

Shepard took a look at the data pad, looking at the numbers.

"I doubt we can do this right away." Shepard replied, setting down the data pad.

"That's the catch. It may take up to a year to gather the resources. Even more for us to fit each ship with the weaponry. Not unless we have help." He said.

"I assume you have a solution, though." Shepard replied, knowing that he had another way.

"Maybe. I know you recently went beyond the Perseus Veil." Anderson said.

"Anderson, I thought you would trust me by now." Shepard shouted angrily, getting out of his seat.

"Shepard, I trust you with my life. But the council has been keeping tabs on you. What they know, I know." Anderson replied calmly.

Shepard sat back down, beginning to calm down.

"Why is it important that I went beyond the Perseus Veil?" Shepard asked, less angry.

Anderson got up and walked over to the balcony, looking out at the lake.

"Tali, if we could take back Rannoch, would the flotilla be willing to help gather the resources needed?" Anderson asked her, who was surprised by the question.

"I... Well I guess. But why would you do that?" She asked, still confused.

"We need every species to help combat the Reapers. You know what they're capable of. If we can enlist the help of the flotilla, we would have a better chance." He replied.

"We would be grateful, but what about the Geth?" She asked, beginning to understand.

"That matter is up to you and Shepard. I can provide the resources needed to combat the geth, if necessary. But that geth aboard your ship may be able to solve this peacefully. I'm neutral on the sitaution. While the geth are dangerous and unpredictable, they would make invaluable allies. The decision is up to you two."

Anderson went back to sitting down at his desk.

"Thank you, Anderson. I'll do my best." Shepard said, getting up to leave.

"I know you will, Shepard. I'll send you the radio channel to contact reinforcements if needed." Anderson said to him.

Shepard nodded, and went down the elevator.

20 minutes later

All three were at the Dark Star, sitting down at a table.

"Tali, what do you think?" Shepard asked her.

"I don't know, Shepard. Even if we can manage to have a peaceful resolution, my people will not instantly trust the geth." She replied.

"Tali, we need all the help we can get. If the geth can help, that would give us an advantage over the Reapers.  
If they can fight side by side without shooting eachother, it would be better for both of us." Shepard said.

"I'll follow you, Shepard. I believe you know the what the right thing to do is." She told him, grabbing his hand.

"shepard, I recall you challeging me. Still up for it? Or do you two need more time? " Garrus said, grinning.

"Garrus-" Tali started to speak, but Shepard stopped her.

"Go tell the bartender to keep the rounds coming until one of us passes out." Shepard said to Garrus, returning the grin.

"Boys." Tali thought. 


	12. Chapter 12

Shepard opened his eyes to the bathroom floor of the Dark Star. His head was throbbing,  
and his stomach wasn't doing so well, either. He felt an arm around wrap around his  
back, helping him up. Before he could look to see who it was, he passed out again.  
But not before hearing a familiar voice.

"I'll take care of you, Shepard."

_5 hours later_

Shepard woke up, back in his cabin. The headache he had earlier was still lingering,  
but not as bad. His memory was fuzzy, but he remembered everything that happened.

"_Damn headache. I wonder if Garrus feels the same. I should probably go check on him_." he thought.

The lights in his cabin were off.

"EDI, turn on the lights." He said, getting off the bed.

When EDI turned them on, they temporarily blinded him. Once his eyes adjusted, he went to put  
his clothes on. After putting them on, he went to the elevator and pushed down to crew quarters.  
When the doors opened, he started heading towards Garrus's usual spot, but halfway there when  
Rupert told him he was in the medical bay.

The doors opened to reveal Garrus sitting next to Doctor Chakwas.

"Garrus, I would recommend that you get plenty of rest to get rid of your headache."  
said to him.

"If I had known Shepard could drink that much..." Garrus noticed Shepard had walked in.

"Hey Shepard. I expect you have a bigger headache than me, after drinking that much."  
He said, giving a small smile.

"I'll say this time that it was a draw. But let's not do this again anytime soon.  
Not sure if the headache is worth it." Shepard replied, coming in and sitting down across  
from them.

"I agree with that. I woke up here. Some of the crew members happened to be at the bar.  
They helped carry me back here." Garrus said.

"How'd I get back? I can barely remember what happened after I passed out." Shepard asked.

"Who do you think? Tali carried you back. I don't expect it was easy for her to lift you  
to your feet." He replied, clutching his head.

Shepard then remebered her voice back at the bathroom.

"Where is she now?" He asked.

"She said something about going to get parts for the engine. Should be back anytime soon."  
Garrus replied, still clutching his head.

"Both of you need to get some rest." cut in.

"Alright, Doctor." Garrus said, getting up. Before he left, shouted to him,

"Remember to take those pills!" He just nodded.

Shepard was about to leave too, but before he did, she stopped him.

"You too, Commander." She said, holding out two capsules.

Shepard just nodded and took them from her hand. He went back up to his cabin, his headache  
getting worse. Once he got back up, we went to his bathroom and filled up a glass of water,  
and took the pills.

He went back to his bed, and told EDI to turn off the lights. As he  
drifted off to sleep, his last thoughts were about Tali.


	13. Chapter 13

Tali left the market and started heading back to the Normandy with the parts she just bought.  
Taking a shortcut to the docks, she went through an alley way. She started to think about Shepard, and about his promise.

She didn't want him to do what her father did. But knew that he wasn't like that. He said something about getting married earlier, but she wasn't sure what it meant. He was drunk, too.  
But she would ask when she got back. Her thoughts were interrupted by a bunch of laughter.

A group of five armed humans had come out in front of her, blocking the path.

"Where are you going, alien?" One of them snickered.

"Has to be a quarian. I recognize those damned suits anywhere. They're all thieves." The one at the front said, apparently the leader.

Tali knew these humans were xenophobic.

"I don't want any trouble. Just let me leave." She said, hoping that it wouldn't resort to violence.

One of them laughed at her. She turned to go back, but two big men were behind her. They pushed her to the ground when she tried to break through.

"Jarek, she didn't do anything to us, let's just go." One of them said.

"Shut up, Rick." The one known as Jarek barked.

"They asked for it." She thought.

When one of them came up to kick her, she immediately pulled out her knife and stabbed him in the leg.

He yelled out in pain, beginning to bleed excessively. He collapsed to the floor, passing out.

While the others were still in shock, she lifted herself off the floor, taking out her shotgun.

Immediately, she shot the other one blocking her path in the chest, leaving a gaping hole in his stomach.

She turned around to the other four, who were pulling out their weapons. While collapsing her shotgun, she ran to cover.

One of them came behind her cover, but she put a slug in his head before he could even blink.

She took a peek out of her cover. Rick was running when she looked, but was shot in the back by Jarek, who was hiding behind cover.

"That bosh'tet!" She thought.

Two of them popped out of cover and fired at her, but she was already back in cover when the slugs hit.

Thinking fast, she popped out of cover once more. The second one got of cover, he had a hole in his head.

The other one fired at her again, barely missing her this time.

"Two left." She said to herself.

Tali was on her last thermal clip. Her knife was still in the leg of one of the bodies. It was out of cover, and she had to think quick.

She ran and slid across the floor to get to her knife. When the one got out of cover to shoot her, she emptied her thermal clip into his chest.

Jarek got out of cover to shoot. The second he was about to pull the trigger, he found a knife in his heart. He collapsed to his knees, dropping his weapon. Before he died, Tali took out the knife.

"I hope Shepard can help sort this out with Bailey." She thought.

When C-Sec arrived, Tali was already gone. 


	14. Chapter 14

Shepard woke up to the sight of Tali standing over him. He smiled at her, and could tell she was smiling back. His hand reached for her helmet, stroking the side of it. She sat next to him on the bed, while he sat up.

"How are you feeling?" She asked him.

"I'm feeling much better now that you're here."

"Thanks." She said back, blushing at his reply.

"How are you?" He asked.

"I'm alright. On the way back I had...Nevermind." She replied, not wanting to tell him about the fight.

"What is it? Is everything alright?" He asked her, concerned.

Tali didn't want to lie to Shepard. He trusted her with his life, as much as she trusted him.  
But what would he think about her killing them? She imagined it wouldn't be long for C-Sec to contact Shepard about her fight. She decided to tell him, not being able to lie to her love.

"On the way back from the market, I took a shortcut through an alleyway. I ran into a small group of humans,  
who seemed xenophobic. They wouldn't let me go and began to get violent, so I had to...to kill them."  
She finished, fearing what Shepard would think.

Shepard looked at her, and put his hand on hers.

"Tali, the only thing I'm concerned about is your safety." He said to her, holding her hand tightly.

Tali was about to reply, but was interrupted by Joker.

"Commander, you got a message from C-Sec. Looks like they have something to discuss with you.

They want to meet you at the Executor's office."

"Thanks, Joker." Shepard replied.

"No problem, Commander." Joker said, closing the comm.

Shepard looked at Tali.

"I'll go by myself. I'll tell them to drop charges against you." He said to her.

"Shepard, I want to go with you." She replied.

Shepard nodded to her, and both went down to suit up.

30 minutes later

Shepard, Tali, and Garrus arrived at the Executor's office. Tali was getting nervous,  
but was comforted by Shepard, who held her hand.

They entered the office, and sitting at the desk was Executor Chellick.

"Chellick, I didn't know you were Executor." Shepard said.

"After the attack on the Citadel, Pallin wanted to retire. He said he was getting to old for C-Sec. he chose me as his successor. Due to no small part by you, Shepard. Your help with my investigation helped me out a lot." The turian responded, motioning for them to sit down.

All three of them sat down.

"I'm glad to have helped." Shepard said.

"No doubt you know why you're here." Chellick stated.

"We know why here, Chellick. Do me us a favor by clearing the charges." Shepard replied.

"It's not that easy, Shepard. There's a lot of bodies, and one witness who survived the incident with only a stab wound to the leg. He claims that Miss Tali'Zorah attacked them first." The turian said grimly.

"You owe me, Chellick. Just do me one favor to call it even." Shepard said, getting irritated.

"For old time's sake, I'll do it. I'll have the charges dropped. But there's one thing I want you to do, Shepard." Chellick replied.

"Thanks, Chellick. What is it that you want?" Shepard asked, relieved.

"I have a case that I'm working on, and would really appreciate your help. I tracked down a shipment of illegal weapon mods that are being delivered to a gang. The humans that attacked Miss Tali'Zorah were a part of this group. They're all human, and have recently began buying a mass of weapons. All low-grade,  
but with the mods, they can easily match the power of Spectre gear. You don't have to help, but I can't guarantee that they won't come after Miss 'Zorah for killing their members." Chellick said, hoping that Shepard would accept.

The only thing going through Shepard's head was Tali's safety.

"I'll help you out, Chellick." Shepard said.

"Thank you, Shepard. I owe you one for this." Chellick replied with a smile.


	15. Chapter 15

Chellick had told them the location of the gang's base. It wasn't far from where Tali had fought the small group. All of them had geared up before going. Garrus, naturally, had brought his M-92 Mantis Sniper Rifle. Tali brought her gift from Shepard, a M-22 Eviscerator shotgun. Shepard brought his M-15 Vindicator Assault Rifle.

They had enough thermal clips to outfit a platoon. The base was hidden in a human exclusive club in the Lower Wards.

While on the shuttle, Shepard went over the strategy.

"Alright. The club's name is "Imperial Lounge." I don't want civilian casualties, so hold fire until in the VIP section of the club. That's where the base is." He stated, bringing up schematics with his omni-tool.

"Garrus, I want you to find a way up to these catwalks. Tali and I will give you covering fire."  
He continued, pointing to the catwalks above.

Garrus nodded, checking his weapon's clip.

"I want this operation to go smoothly. The sooner we're finished, the sooner we can get back to our mission." Shepard said, shutting of his omni-tool.

"We won't let you down, Shepard." Tali replied.

20 minutes later

The three arrived at the entrance of Imperial Lounge. The place was massive, bigger than Afterlife.

"The VIP section should be on the other side. We'll have to take an elevator down." Shepard shouted over the music.

As they moved through the crowd, people started to look at them, their faces showing disgust.

"Get the aliens outta here!" One human shouted.

Ignoring the crowd, the three kept moving towards the elevator.

A male human grabbed Tali's arm. But before he could do anything else, he was face down on the floor unconscience. Tali was putting away her pistol, continuing to walk with Shepard. After that, the crowd backed away, clearing the path to the elevator.

When they to the elevator, a young human was standing there as bouncer.

"Sorry sir, but only members are allowed into the VIP area. And no aliens." He said, motioning towards Tali and Garrus.

"I can take who I want with me, and I'm on Spectre business." Shepard said sternly.

"You're a Spectre?! Shit, I'm sorry. I'll let you in." He replied, hastily opening the elevator's controls.

Shepard and his team got in the elevator.

"Thanks." Shepard said as the doors closed.

They got out their weapons, ready for anything.

"Remember the plan. Be ready for anything." Shepard said, just as the they reached the top floor. 


	16. Chapter 16

Shepard breathed in deeply as the elevator opened. He put his finger on the trigger,  
ready for whatever comes at him. The doors opened to reveal a massive warehouse,  
filled with hundreds of crates. The many guards, armed with various assault rifles.  
As soon as they spotted Shepard's team, they began firing.

Shepard turned on his cloak, while Tali and Garrus dashed to cover. One by one, every  
single guard dropped to the floor, with either a slug in the head or a hole in the chest.

When they were all dead, Shepard turned off his cloak and regrouped with his team.

"Damn, Shepard. Wouldn't want to be on the opposite side of a firefight against you."  
Garrus said.

"It's what I do, Garrus." He replied, giving a slight smile.

"I should be able to get to the catwalks if I take that ladder up." Garrus stated,  
pointing to a nearby ladder.

"Alright. Tali and I will continue on foot while you give us a layout of the area.  
Feel free to take out any guards on the way." Shepard said.

"Will do, Shepard. Good luck." Garrus replied, heading to the ladder.

8 minutes later

Tali and Shepard were pinned down by four guards. Garrus was having trouble taking them down,  
not being able to get a clear shot. They had the advantage, for the moment.

Tali deployed her combat drone, Chikktita vas Paus. Two guards were finally visible through Garrus'  
scope. He took the shots. Both bullets met their targets, in the head.

Chikktita vas Paus had an explosive defense mechanism installed. Before it's energry was depleted, it  
took out the rest of the guards with a miniature explosion.

"We're making good progress. According to the layout, the main office is just a few more  
rooms away. Garrus, regroup with us before we get there." Shepard said, taking a quick  
look at the map on his omni-tool.

"I'll meet you there, Shepard." Garrus replied over the comm.

Shepard and Tali continued on, reloading as they went. They encountered a small pocket of guards,  
but nothing they couldn't handle.

After what seemed like endless fighting, they finally managed to get to the doors to the main office.  
Garrus was there, waiting for them.

"And I was just starting to get bored. The doors are locked." Garrus said.

"Tali, can you hack into them?" Shepard asked.

"Of course, Shepard." She responded, bringing up her omni-tool.

In less than ten seconds, the doors were unlocked.

"You sure work fast, Tali." Garrus said, surprised.

"That door was easy, I'm surprised you couldn't do it yourself." She replied.

"Make sure your weapons are full. Be ready for anything once those doors open." Shepard said.

"We won't let you down, Shepard." Tali said, changing her thermal clip.

"I know you won't." He replied.

Shepard opened the doors, revealing a man sitting down at a desk, surrounded by a group of well armed  
commandos.

"Commander Shepard, you've caused me a lot of trouble today. I knew who you were the second  
you stepped foot in my club." The man said, remaining seated.

Shepard put down his rifle, and motioned for his team to do the same.

"It doesn't matter if you know who I am. What you're doing is illegal." Shepard replied.

"I see you brought the quarian. That will make this much more easier." He continued,  
ingnoring Shepard.

Shepard immediately pointed his weapon at the man.

"If you touch her, I will kill you." Shepard said, rage in his eyes.

"That alien killed my brother, Jarek. I'm going to return the favor." He motioned his  
commandos to open fire.

But before even one pulled the trigger, Shepard had already put a slug into each man's head,  
amazing his team. The man showed a glimpse of fear. But it was gone as soon as it was showed.

"I'm going to ask one last time. Surrender." Shepard said, pointing his pistol at the man's head.

"You may kill me, but I'm going to take your quarian with me." The second he finished his sentence,  
he pulled out a pistol and shot Tali in the stomach.

Everything slowed down for Shepard. The site of Tali falling to the floor filled him with a rage,  
and pulled the trigger of his pistol. The man's head hit the desk, a slug between the eyes.

Shepard immediately went to Tali's side, crying. He checked her vital signs, and found out she  
was still alive.

"Don't die, Tali. Don't leave me." He cried, picking her up.

Shepard, carrying her, started running back. Garrus was standing still, in shock. He knew where Shepard was going.  
Back to the Normandy.


	17. Chapter 17

Shepard never ran faster in his life. C-Sec had arrived at the scene, but he just ran past them. The only thought in his mind was Tali, the woman he was carrying, the woman he loved.

The man who shot her was dead. Shepard felt no guilt. The only thing he felt was regret that he didn't kill him sooner.

"_That bastard got what he deserved_." He thought to himself.

He was getting close to the space port. Even if her wound wasn't fatal, the puncture in her suit would kill her soon enough.

The Normandy was in his sights. He sprinted towards the airlock. He got to the door, and yelled for EDI to open it. Once they were open, he ran towards the elevator, ignoring Joker and the crew. In the elevator, he told EDI to go to the crew deck. In the elevator, he looked down at her, and started to weep.

"Please, Tali. Don't die. We're almost there." He whispered, catching his breath.

When the doors opened, he immediately ran to the medical bay. Once in, he put her down on the table.

"Shepard, what...what happened?" Dr. Chakwas stuttered, getting up from her chair.

Shepard, out of breath, only managed to say a few, incoherent words. Dr. Chakwas just looked at him, and proceeded to get out her instruments. She examined the wound, and proceeded to extract the slug.

"Is..Will she be alright?" Shepard asked, gasping.

"It's hard to be certain. The wound doesn't appear to be fatal, but the prolonged exposure of the wound may cause an infection that could kill her." She said quickly, without looking at him.

"Do your best, Doctor." He said, still crying.

"I will, Shepard. Can you go to Mordin and get immuno-boosters? It may prevent an infection."  
She asked.

Shepard was already at the elevator.

_2 minutes later_

Mordin was in his lab, as usual.

"Shepard. Need something? Must if here. Or want to talk? If so, have inte-"

"I'm sorry, Mordin. But I need immuno-boosters. Tali was shot and we need to try to prevent an infection."  
Shepard said, interrupting Mordin.

The salarian began looking through his vials. He pulled one out.

"Should do trick. If need anymore, ask. Will be here. Hope Tali pulls through."  
Mordin said, handing Shepard the vial.

"Thank you, Mordin." He said before leaving.

"Happy to help, Shepard." Mordin replied, going back to his research.

Shepard immediately went back down to the med bay. Once there, he handed Chakwas the vial.

"I was able to extract the slug, close the wound, and seal her suit. But it will be a while before we can be sure of anything. You may want rest for a while." She said, injecting Tali with the booster.

"I'll rest here. I don't want to leave her alone." He replied, and pulled a chair next to Tali.

Chakwas just nodded, and went back to her computer.


	18. Chapter 18

Shepard had been awake since he brought Tali to the medical bay. He was tired, and barely awake.  
Closing his eyes, he almost immediately fell asleep. He began to dream.

Shepard was on the Normandy, in his quarters. He got in the elevator and went down to crew quarters,  
looking for Tali. Once the doors opened, he was surprised to see no one around. He walked to the med bay to find no one was there. When he turned to leave, the door locked on him. He tried to open it, but the door wouldn't budge. When he asked for EDI to help, there was no response.

He was getting worried, and was concerned about Tali and the crew's whereabouts.

"Where are they?" He thought to himself.

He turned around, and was shocked to see the the man that killed Tali again, sitting at his desk.  
He got up, speaking, but Shepard couldn't hear him.

When Shepard looked to his side, he saw Tali, still alive. He tried to speak, but no words came out.  
The man pulled out a pistol.

Shepard realized what was going to happen. He went to take the pistol from the man, but was unable to move. He tried to break free, to stop Tali getting shot.

"I'm not going to let this happen again." He said to himself.

But no matter how hard he tried to move, he was unable to. Shepard had to witness the death of Tali again, unable to do anything.

As the slug hit her, he was able to move again. He went to her side immediately, beginning to cry.

"Why? I can't save her. No matter how hard I try, I can't do anything! It's my fault she was shot.  
It's my fault she's going to die." He said to himself, weeping over his love's body.

Shepard woke up in cold sweat. He was still in the med bay. His memory was blurry, but he remembered his dream.  
Panicking, he quickly looked around, to see if Tali was still there.

"Shepard," He heard a faint call.

He turned around, and found Tali laying down on one of the beds. Her hand was reaching out towards him.  
Shepard immediately went to her side, taking her hand and holding it tightly.

"You're alive! Are you alright? Do you need anything?" He asked her, beginning to cry from joy.

"I feel alright. Just have a bad headache. But I'm feeling much better now that you're here" She said, gripping his hand.

"I see you've regained consciousness." They heard a voice from. It was .

"Hello, Doctor." Tali replied, and began to sit up. She gripped her stomach in pain.

"You were shot in the stomach. I was able to remove the slug and heal the wound, but you will be sore for a couple of days. Do you need anything?" Chakwas said, walking up to Tali and Shepard.  
Shepard let Tali's hand go.

"I'm fine, Doctor. Just have a bad headache." Tali said.

went over to her desk and pulled out from one of her drawers a vial.

"This should help your headache and fight any other infection." She said, handing Tali the vial.

"Thanks." Tali replied, taking the liquid from the vial and injecting it into her suit.

just nodded, and went back to her desk.

"When can she get out of here?" Shepard asked, glancing at Tali, who he could tell was glaring.

"Give it about two days. She should be recovered by then." responded, not turning away from her computer.

Shepard looked at Tali, and she looked back.

"I thought I lost you, Tali. If I had been quicker, or if I killed him-"

"It wasn't your fault, Shepard. It just happened. I'm here with you now, and that's all that matters."  
She said, taking his hand again.

"I love you, Tali." He said, looking into her magnificent eyes.

"I love you too, Shepard. I always will, no matter what." She replied, holding his hand tightly.


	19. Chapter 19

Tali had been in the medical bay for two days, recovering from her wound. Shepard had been there almost every minute with her. He only left a few times, and that was to go visit Mordin.

Tali was able to walk, and got over her headache quickly. Doctor Chakwas was surprised at her recovery rate.

Shepard had to go talk to Legion, concerning their mission. He told Tali to meet him in his quarters, and would be up there after he talked to Legion.

Legion was looking at his omni-tool when Shepard walked into the AI core.

"Shepard-Commander." He said, putting away his omni-tool.

"Hello, Legion. I was wondering if we could have a quick talk." Shepard replied.

The synthetic nodded, and Shepard began to speak.

"You know what our mission is. I need your help to try and make peace between the geth and the quarians."

"Shepard-Commander. We have stated before that we will make peace. Only if the creators are truthful to their word." Legion stated.

"I'll do my part and convince them. But I need your help with the geth. Can you help?"  
Shepard asked.

Legion paused for a moment. He finally spoke again.

"Yes."

"Thank you, Legion." Shepard said, nodding to the synthetic.

"You have helped us, Shepard-Commander." Legion stated.

"I want you to send a message to the geth, stating what is asked of them. I have to leave. I'll talk later. Thank you." Shepard replied, and turned to leave.

Legion nodded, and opened his omni-tool again.

2 minutes later

Shepard went into his cabin, and saw Tali on the couch, waiting for him. He smiled and went to his desk, opening one of the drawers and pulling out a box.

She looked at him, with her beautiful, radiant eyes as he sat down with her, setting it on the table.

"What's in the box?" Tali asked him, glancing over at it.

"It's a gift. Open it." He replied, picking up the box and handing it to her.

She opened it, and he could tell, even through her helmet, she was happy. The box contained a few immuno-boosters, along with a suit patch, better than the one used by Doctor Chakwas .

"Keelah! Thank you, Shepard!" She responded, hugging him.

"I wanted to get you something, for when you recovered. Mordin helped make the immuno-boosters. He developed them, himself. I went out and bought the patch." He said, once she let go of him.

"How long do the boosters last?" She asked, picking one up from the box.

"He says they can last up to five hours." Shepard replied.

"I think I'll use one now." She said seductively.

Tali injected the booster. Shepard took off her mask, and stroked her face. She took his hand, and guided him to the bed.


	20. Chapter 20

Tali was still awake, in bed with her love. She was naked and hugging him tightly, feeling his warmth against her body.

"Keelah, I love him!" She thought to herself, pressing her body to him more tightly.

Tali never thought she would love someone as much as she loves Shepard. She knew he loved her just as much, if not more. Whenever he was around, everything seemed right. She felt safe with him.

Even when she first joined, she was captivated by him. He was so brave, willing to sacrifice himself for others. It wasn't until after he had come back from the dead that she realized she loved him. When he admitted he felt the same, she never felt happier.

Tali sighed. She only had two more hours out of her suit. But she didn't care. As long as she was with him, she was happy.

2 hours later

Shepard helped Tali get back into her suit. Before he handed her helmet to her, he passionately kissed her.  
When they broke, Tali smiled and took the helmet from his hands.

"Tali, what would I do without you?" Shepard said, as she put her helmet back on.

"Not much." She replied, joking.

Shepard smiled and hugged her tightly.

"I have to go tell Joker to set a course to the fleet. We'll meet back up here later." Shepard said, releasing her from his embrace.

"I look forward to it." Tali replied.

They both went to the elevator together. Shepard got off at the command center.

He headed towards the cockpit, where he saw Joker was talking with EDI.

"Where do you come up with these jokes?" He heard Joker say, before he noticed Shepard and turned his chair around.

"Need something, Commander?" He asked.

"What were you discussing with EDI?" Shepard said, looking at the ship's AI.

"Oh, nothing important. I just think we need to install a humor component to EDI's computers." Joker said.

"I do not need upgrades, Jeff." EDI responded.

"Yeah, well I at least think you should update your joke book." He replied.

"Alright, you two. Joker, set a course to the Migrant Fleet." Shepard said.

"Please don't tell me it's political. That's the reason we go there everytime. Why can't we visit somewhere else, like Terra Nova? I hear we got a nice memorial there." Joker replied, looking at Shepard.

"Joker." Shepard said, glaring at him.

"Alright, no need to glare me down. ETA is one hour." He replied, turning his chair back around.

Shepard headed back to the elevator, and decided to go down to the crew deck for a meal. When he arrived, most of the crew was still gone. They were on the Citadel, buying upgrades for the ship or going to clubs for drinks.

Mess Sergeant Gardner was still there, reading a book. He noticed Shepard and put it down.

"Do you need anything, Commander?" He asked.

"Mind cooking some of your gumbo? Haven't had a good meal in a while" Shepard replied, sitting down at the table.

"Of course. Being at the Citadel, the crew usually doesn't come back to eat. I'm glad you like my gumbo." The sergeant replied, getting out the supplies.

After Gardner was done cooking, he brought a bowl over to Shepard.

"I put something extra in it. Should give the flavor a little more kick." He said while Shepard ate a spoonful.

He nodded approvingly, and finished what was in the bowl in less than five minutes.

"That was a very good meal. Thanks, Rupert." Shepard said, getting up with the bowl. He brought it back to the Mess Sergeant.

"I'm glad you liked it. Always happy to cook for you." He replied, smiling.

Shepard nodded, and went to the elevator. This time, he went back up to his cabin. Once he was up, he went to his private terminal to check for any mail.

He only had one, and it was from Chellick.

"Shepard, I'm not sure why you ran off, but I'm glad you helped me out. I owe one, again."  
-Executor Chellick

Shepard smiled, and turned off his terminal, turning around. The door to his cabin opened, and he saw Tali standing there. She walked up to him, and sat on his lap.

"I love you, Tali." He said, holding her.

"I love you too, Shepard." She replied, holding him firmly in her arms.


	21. Chapter 21

Shepard woke up next to Tali, still in her suit. They wanted to save the immuno-boosters for special occasions,  
as good ones were hard to find. She was still asleep, breathing softly.

They would be at the fleet by now, but the crew took an hour and a half to get back to their stations. Shepard and Tali both decided to take a nap together until they arrived at the fleet.

Shepard slowly got up, not wanting to wake Tali, and headed towards the elevator. He was going down to the cockpit to see Joker. It had been awhile since they had a talk, and he needed to know if they were there yet.  
He would do it over the comm, but didn't want to wake Tali.

Once the elevator doors opened, he walked to the cockpit. He was surprised when he didn't hear Joker and EDI arguing. Joker had already turned his chair around when Shepard got there.

"Need something, Commander?" He asked in his usual tone.

"Just wanted to talk for a bit." Shepard replied, and went to sit down at a vacant pilot seat.

"Alright. What about?" Joker asked, turning his chair back to the computers.

"Anything. What's on your mind?" Shepard responded.

Joker paused, and looked at Shepard.

"Serious?" He asked, looking at the Commander.

"Serious. What do you want to talk about?" Shepard replied,

Joker got a mischievous look in his eye.

"So...you and Tali." He said with a smile.

Shepard looked down.

"Anything but that." He asked, looking back up at Joker.

"Well, there's really nothing else to talk about. And you said anything." Joker replied.

"Fine. But nothing too private." Shepard said.

"What does she look like?" Joker asked, stopping to listen.

Shepard hesitated, thinking of what to say.

"She's the most beautiful woman I have ever laid eyes on. Her skin is soft, and her eyes are radiant. It's hard to describe." He said, looking out the window.

"Wish I found a girl like that. But instead, I have EDI. Not exactly what I had in mind..." Joker replied, glancing over at the AI.

"Women would be hesitant to date a man with your hygiene, Jeff." EDI responded.

"What?!" Joker yelled.

"That was a joke." The AI replied.

"At least you're getting better at them." Joker said, turning back to Shepard.

"I better get back to work. Was there anything else you needed, Commander?" Joker asked him.

"How much time before we reach the fleet?" Shepard asked, getting up to leave.

"Should be there in forty minutes." Joker replied.

"Thanks, Joker." Shepard said.

"No problem, Commander." He replied.

Shepard returned to his cabin, finding Tali still asleep.

"I'll let her sleep for a little bit longer." He thought to himself.

He went back to the bed, and laid beside her.


	22. Chapter 22

Shepard looked at the clock. It had been twenty minutes. She was sleeping so peacefully. But he had to wake her up.

"She would probably want to eat and get ready." He thought to himself.

He put his hand on her should and gently shook. Her beautiful eyes fluttered opened.

"We're almost at the fleet. I thought you would like to get something to eat before we got there." He said to her, stroking her arm.

"Thanks. Want to come with me?" She asked him, putting her hand on his face.

"Yeah, I'll come with you." He replied, taking her hand.

Both of them went down to crew quarters together. Mess Sergeant Gardner was there, as usual. He was making the crew breakfast.

"Hello, Sergeant Gardner." Tali said.

Gardner turned around and saw Shepard and Tali.

"Hello, Commander and Miss'Zorah. Is there anything you need?" He asked.

"Just a meal for Tali." Shepard responded.

"You're not hungry?" She asked Shepard.

"No, I already had a snack earlier." He replied.

Rupert opened one of his cabinets and pulled out a tube of nutrient paste.

"Here ya go. I bought it from the Citadel before we left. It's the best I could find." Rupert said, handing it to her.

"Thank you, Sergeant Gardner." She replied, taking it from his hand.

"It's not a problem, Miss'Zorah."

Shepard and Tali both went to sit at the table. The two crew members that were usually there had a drinking contest, and both were still in the medical bay.

Once Tali finished eating, they both talked for a little bit.

"I'm not sure if I can convince the Admirals. It's like trying to convince a rock to move itself." Shepard said.

"Shepard, if anyone can persuade them, it's you. I believe in you." Tali replied, taking his hand.

"Thanks, Tali." He said, looking at her.

"Commander, we're at the fleet." Joker said over the comm.

"Thanks, Joker. We'll be up there in a little bit." Shepard replied.

"I'll meet you at the cockpit, Tali. I have to go suit up and you go have to get permission from the fleet to dock."  
Shepard said.

"I'll see you there, Shepard." Tali replied.

They both got up from the table and went to up to the CIC. Shepard went to the armory to suit up, while Tali went to the cockpit to get permission to dock with the fleet.

Shepard was at the armory, thinking.

"This is going to be a pain in the ass. How the hell am I going to get the Admirals to make peace with geth?  
No, don't think like that. Tali believes in me. I can do it. " He thought to himself while getting his armor on.

Once Shepard was finished suiting up, he went to the cockpit to meet Tali.

"We're docking with the Tonbay again. Are you ready?" She asked him.

"I'm always ready." Shepard replied jokingly.

"You bosh'tet." She responded also joking. She hugged him.

"We're docked. Can we try to keep this visit short?" Joker said.

"Thanks, Joker. We'll see you in a little while." Shepard said before heading to the airlock with Tali.

"Great..." Joker said to himself. 


	23. Chapter 23

Shepard and Tali were greeted by Admiral Shala'Raan as they exited the Normandy.

"Auntie, did you get the message I sent earlier?" Tali asked her.

"Yes. It wasn't easy to do, but I managed to convince the Conclave to gather. They're in the plaza now." Shala replied.

"Do they know what this is about?" Shepard asked.

"No. If I had told them, I don't think they would've agreed to assemble." Shala responded.

"Thank you, Auntie. For everything." Tali said, hugging her.

"You're welcome, Tali. I just hope Shepard can persuade them to his cause." Shala said, hugging Tali back.

"Shala, do you support peace between the geth?" Shepard questioned Shala.

"I believe in doing what is best for my people, Shepard. If that is peace with the geth, then I will support it."  
She responded.

"I want what's best for your people, too." He said.

"Who are the admirals?" Tali asked Shala.

"Han'Gerral, Zaal'Koris, Daro'Xen, Fian'Vael, and myself." She replied.

"The only one from that list that would join is Zaal'Koris. This is going to be harder than I thought." Shepard said.

"We'd better start heading to the plaza." Tali said.

"You're right. The last thing I want to do is keep the Admirals waiting." Shepard replied.

All three started heading towards the plaza. On the way, they continued their conversation.

"I remember the last time we were here." Shepard said, looking at Tali with a grin.

"Don't remind me..." She replied , putting her hand on her helmet.

"What? I thought you would be proud to reject being an admiral." He continued teasing her.

"You and I both know why I declined the position." She said looking at him, almost glaring.

"I'm only teasing, Tali. I know why." He replied.

"I'm glad you two are getting along." Shala said, joining the conversation.

"We're just playing around, Auntie." Tali replied.

"I know, Tali." Shala said.

They had finally reached the plaza. While it was still crowded, it wasn't nearly as full when Tali was selected as a  
candidate.

Shepard saw the other four admirals conversing with other quarians. They saw Shepard enter the room, and proceeded  
to head towards the center of the plaza. The crowd followed suit.

As Shepard headed towards the center with Tali and Shala, he could hear the crowd talking amongst themselves. They all questioned  
the purpose of the meeting.

"Shepard, what have you gotten yourself into?" He said to himself.

He felt a hand slide into his own, and saw that it was Tali.

"Don't worry. You'll be fine." She said, calming him down.

"I'm glad I have you with me, Tali." He replied smiling at her.


	24. Chapter 24

Shepard had finally reached the center, where the admirals waited on the podium. Shala joined them after going through the crowd. Tali remained at Shepard's side. As the crowd settled down and took seats, Shala spoke.

"This Conclave is brought to order. Blessed are the ancestors who kept us alive, sustained us, and enabled us to reach this season. Keelah Se'lai." She said, opening the meeting.

"Keelah Se'lai." The crowd said in unison.

"Now that we've started, may we know the purpose of this meeting?" Han'Gerral asked.

Shepard grew nervous, but looked at Tali, and gained confidence from her.

"The purpose of this meeting is to stop a war before it starts." He said firmly.

Shepard heard surprised and negative comments from within the crowd.

"War is necessary to retake the homeworld. One geth that hasn't attacked you yet is hardly proof that all are not hostile."  
Han'Gerral replied.

"War will only cost the lives of thousands of quarians. The geth would wipe you out before you could even fire the first slug.  
You wouldn't be around to reap the benefits even if you did win. I want to help the quarians, but I need your cooperation to do it.  
I need both of you to help fight the Reapers. And Legion has had several oppurtunites to kill me and my crew. If he was hostile, I would be dead by now." Shepard said, determination in his voice.

The crowd was taken back by Shepard. He heard whispers of agreement, but many others were still unfazed.

"This is strange, coming from a man who has killed more geth than anyone in the fleet." Daro'Xen replied.

"Those were the heretics, and they are not the majority of geth. And from what I can tell, the geth were trying to protect themselves.  
What were their crimes? All they wanted to know was the purpose of why they were built. And instead of answering the question, you all deactivated them. I'm not saying the quarians deserved what happened to them, but neither did the geth." Shepard continued.

The crowd was getting louder each time Shepard spoke. There were many different opinions. Half supported Shepard, while the other half were still against him.

"We don't even know if we would get the homeworld back if we make peace with the geth." Han'Gerral said.

"The geth do not live on Rannoch. They are simply caretakers. And I spoke with Legion before I arrived. They would allow you to return to your homeworld, if you do not attack them." Shepard replied.

By now, from what Shepard could tell from the whispers, was that most of the crowd was with him. A few still disagreed, but were outnumbered by the supporters.

"We cannot wander these stars forever. Peace with the geth is the best solution. I support Shepard." Zaal'Koris said.

"As do I." Fian'Vael spoke.

"I need a moment to think. I call for a recess to discuss these matters privately." Han'Gerral said, visibly pondering what Shepard has stated.

"All in favor of a recess?" Shala asked.

The admirals brought their omni-tools.

"This meeting will continue after the recess." Shala said, and began to step off the platform she was on.

The crowd got up and spread out, beginning to converse with one another.

"Shepard, you would have made an excellent politician if you weren't a soldier." Tali said to him.

"I just hope they'll consider what I said." He replied.

"They will, believe me. Want to take a walk around the ship with me?" She asked, looking at him.

"Sure." He said casually.

They both walked around the ship, occasionally talking with the others.

"Have I told you that I love you today?" Shepard asked her while they were walking.

"Yes, but I always love hearing you say it." She replied, and took his hand. 


	25. Chapter 25

Shepard walked around the Tonbay with Tali, who was showing him the different parts of the ship. It was crowded, but  
he managed to get through with Tali while holding her hand. Along the way, they talked with each other.

"We're about to reach the observation room. It has a wonderful view of the fleet." Tali said to Shepard, pulling him  
along. He didn't mind, because he knew she was excited.

After a few minutes of walking through the crowd, they reached a room with a large window. Tali brought Shepard up to it.  
He gazed out, seeing a sea of ships.

"Isn't it beautiful?" Tali asked him, also looking out.

"Yeah, it is. But you're still the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." He replied, looking at her. He could tell she blushed under  
her helmet.

"Yes, well, um. Thank you." She said, stumbling over her words.

Shepard wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and both continued walking around the ship. They spotted Lia'Vael holding hands  
with Kenn, the quarian Shepard helped on Omega.

"I'm glad it worked for those two." Shepard said to Tali.

"You've done so much for my people, Shepard. I wish you could have met my father. He would have liked you." Tali said, sadness  
in her voice.

"I wish I could have too. BUt because of him, I have you." Shepard replied, trying to cheer her up.

"And because of you, he still is a hero in the eyes of my people." She said, less sad.

"I did it for you, Tali." He replied, looking at her eyes.

"I know, Shepard. Even though he is gone, I'm happy that I still have you." She said, looking back at him.

They looked at each other for a moment, but then continued walking. Shepard over heard gossip while walking through the crowd.  
Many commented on his ability of speech, saying that he has a strong voice and opinion.

Many supported him and his ideas. However, he did hear a few that did not agree with him, saying the geth would betray them as  
soon as they had stepped foot back on the homeworld.

"We'd better start heading back to the plaza. The recess is nearly over." Tali said to him.

He nodded, and both started walking towards the plaza. When they got there, most of the crowd was already seated, waiting for  
the admirals to return. They were talking amongst themselves, wondering what the outcome would be.

Shepard and Tali returned to the center of the plaza, and also awaited the decision.

"Han'Gerral didn't seem to like what I had to say." Shepard said to Tali.

"He thinks going to war right now is the best decision and quickest way to return to the homeworld. I thought the same a long  
time ago, but after everything that has happened, it would be best if they did it your way. Going to war with the geth would  
cost many lives. And it would waste the resources needed to combat the Reapers." Tali replied.

"I completely agree." Shepard said.

The recess was finally over, and the admirals had come back out. They each took their place on the elevated platform.

"The Conclave has come to a decision. After much debate and weighing of both sides," Shala stated,

Shepard was holding his breath, waiting for her to say the next sentence.

"we have decided to support Shepard and his decision." Shala finished her sentence.

The crowd rose up and cheered, filling the plaza with noise. Shepard almost didn't believe what just happened, but after  
it sinked in, he felt relieved.

"I told you they would listen." Tali said from behind him.

He turned around and hugged her. She was surprised at first, but then wrapped her arms around him


	26. Chapter 26

Shepard felt a wave of calmness wash over him. The admirals had just saved an entire species by listening to him.  
He was still hugging Tali, the woman he loved. After what seemed like an eternity, he finally let her go, and looked into her magnificent eyes.

"Tali, let's go home." He said to her, smiling.

"I'll follow." She replied.

Both started heading back to the Normandy. Along the way, Shepard was congratulated by various quarians for his speech. He spoke with the Admirals also before leaving, and they supported him. Even Daro'Xen, but he suspected she would try and use the situation to her advantage later on.

when they finally got back to the Normandy, most of the crew were at their stations. Joker was arguing with EDI again when they entered the airlock. He didn't even notice them, and continued arguing.

Shepard went to the armory to take off his suit while Tali continued on to the elevator. He was surprised to find her waiting there for him after he had finished.

"Are you coming up with me?" Shepard asked her before picking a destination.

"Where else would I go? Kenneth and Gabriella have engineering covered for the moment. If you want, we could take a shower." Tali replied, and pressed the button that went up to the cabin.

"Feeling adventurous today?" He asked her on the way up.

"You have no idea." She replied with an eagerness to her voice.

Once they got up to the cabin, Tali went to Shepard's desk and took out the immuno-booster that he kept there.  
She injected it to her suit while Shepard went to turn on the shower. When he turned around, he found Tali already of her suit. Before he could say anything, she pounced on to him, pushing him into the shower. The water was cold, but they didn't care. She kissed him passionately. When they finally broke, they looked deeply into each other's eyes.

"I love, Tali'Zorah vs Normandy." He said to her.

"I love you too, Shepard. I always will." She replied, and kissed him again.

4 hours later

Shepard laid in bed with his love, Tali. Before he drifted off into sleep, his thoughts went over the day's events.  
He had chosen salvation over destruction, preventing the extinction of two races. But it wasn't over yet. The Reapers were still coming, and he had to do much more before he could even hope to defeat them.

But that is what he had. Hope was stronger than any weapon, no matter the power. With it, the galaxy could defeat the Reapers. But they needed to be united. And that was what Shepard was. He and his team were their hope.

"We'll be ready for them." Shepard thought to himself, before falling asleep.

----------------

**This is last part for long time. Story will continue one day, but will be while. In meantime, will attempt to write different story,**  
**with different plot. Hope you have enjoyed reading Salvation or Destruction, like I have enjoyed writing it. One day, will return to this.**  
**But for now, am putting away. Appreciate all of support that have had from fans and friends while**  
**writing story. Keelah Se'lai, and hope have enjoyed Salvation or Destruction.**


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